Page 97 of Reclaimed By My Ex’s Bratva Brother

Couple days ago.

I'd been just down the hall. She'd left, and I never saw her.

"Did she leave alone?"

"No, a young man picked her up. Even opened the car door for her. Looked like Miss Cox's boyfriend, I'd say."

My stomach twisted into a fist.

"What did he look like?"

The nurse looked confused, clearly didn't understand why I was asking.

"Tall, dark hair, well dressed. Drove a black sports car."

Makar. Of everyone Briony knew, only he fit that description. The name burned straight from my chest to my throat.

Why the hell was he back in Briony's life? His marriage to Chloe was over, I knew that. But ending a shitty marriage didn't mean he could circle back to Briony.

"How was she when she left?"

"If the doctor cleared her, there was no immediate danger." The nurse answered carefully. "But she needs rest."

"Anything else?"

"Sorry, I can't disclose patient test results."

I didn't stop the nurse again.

I stood in the empty room, staring at the bed. Why the hell had I left Briony alone here? She'd been one hallway away, and I hadn't knocked on this door for two whole days. The tightness in my chest grew heavier. I loosened my tie and walked out.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I thought it was Brinny. The screen showed a company email instead.

Subject line: Resignation.

Sender: Briony Cox.

My feet stopped. People moved around me—doctors, nurses, orderlies pushing wheelchairs. Sounds washed over me, then seemed to cut off. I could only see the name on the screen. I opened the email. Short. Formal. Professional. Like every moment between us had vanished into nothing.

I called her directly. Two rings, then she hung up. Called again—already off.

My lungs felt blocked. Air went in but didn't reach the bottom, just scraped around in my chest.

"Pick up." I texted her.

Message failed. I stared at those words, temple throbbing.

She hadn't confronted me, hadn't argued. She'd just left. Didn't give me a chance to stop her.

I hated losing control. Hated even more when someone disappeared from my life. Brinny had left once. Now Briony was doing the same thing?

No. They weren't the same.

The thought came too fast, too certain. Brinny's departure had made me angry, hollow. Briony's departure made my chest feel empty, like someone had suddenly removed an organ that had always been there. Something I didn't want to name was slowly chewing through my control.

I started the car and pulled away from the hospital. Afternoon traffic clogged the streets. Every red light tested my patience. I gripped the steering wheel, right pinky aching from the pressure.

Makar. I didn't want to admit that name bothered me more than the resignation. Briony had loved him once. They were close in age, shared a chunk of life I'd never been part of. He knew what she liked, what she'd fight about, how to use some old memory to make her soften.